Marouch Restaurant Review

: This strip mall restaurant offers Lebanese and Armenian dishes. It would be easy to make a meal of all the hot and cold appetizers. The best mezze are hummus, falafel and bastourma --- thin-cut, spiced, dried veal filet. There are even pan-fried frogs’ legs seasoned with lemon juice, garlic and cilantro. Pita bread is baked in a wood-burning oven. For an entrée, consider the combination of spit-cooked chicken, beef and lamb shwarma, or a kebab option utilizing the same animals. If you order two hours ahead, you’re entitled to the barbecued whole chicken with creamy garlic sauce. There are also interesting daily specials. On Tuesday, it’s sheykh al-mehshi, eggplant filled with seasoned ground beef and pine nuts. Or try the weekend-only lamb shanks paired with a mixture of rice, ground lamb, pine nuts, almonds and pistachios. For dessert, cool rice pudding comes topped with pistachios and rose water. Knafeh, served hot, is a sweet white cheese finished with semolina mixed with honey and rose water. There’s a short wine list that includes Lebanese Ksara Blanc and Chateau Musar.